The invention relates to devices and structure to be utilized by a passenger in a wheelchair to secure himself and his wheelchair while traveling in the vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a folding seat on a vehicle such as a bus or train, that can function in a normal manner for the conventional passenger, while having the adaptability of being utilized to aid in securing a passenger confined to a wheelchair.
In the past, persons confined to wheelchairs have experienced great difficulty in being able to ride in vehicles while remaining in their wheelchairs. Typically, when a wheelchair occupant is taken for a ride in an automobile, the person is removed from the wheelchair and lifted into one of the various seats of the automobile, and the wheelchair is then placed in the trunk or a luggage carrying area. A few inventions have been directed to wheelchair ramps for automobiles, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,651,965, that allows the wheelchair occupant to remain in his wheelchair in the vehicle. In these devices, the area within the automobile into which the wheelchair can be maneuvered is limited and little problems exist with respect to restraining its movements once positioned within the vehicle during travel of the vehicle.
A few inventions have been directed primarily toward vehicle's having a van-type structure that has utilized a retractable ramp for loading the wheelchair occupant into the vehicle, such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,882. Other inventions utilize a hydraulic lift type structure, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,917 and 3,913,759. These inventions all are directed to getting the wheelchair occupant into and out of the vehicle, but do not relate to the matter of preventing the wheelchair from moving around in the vehicle during travel, and primarily rely on the brake unit of the wheelchair to control this. Additionally, the vehicles into which the inventor's structures have been designed are not ones that are designed to be used as public conveyances wherein other passengers would be able to walk into and out of the vehicles in an upstanding position.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel structure that may be used to restrain the movement of a wheelchair occupant while traveling in a public carrier.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel wheelchair restraint assembly which, when not in use, allows the vehicle to be utilized in a normal manner.
It it also an object of the invention to provide a novel wheelchair restraint assembly that can be quickly adapted from normal passenger usage to its position where it functions as a wheelchair restraint device.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel wheelchair restraint assembly that is economical to manufacture and install in a public carrier vehicle.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel wheelchair restraint assembly which is designed to keep the wheelchair occupant out of the stream of traffic flowing into and out of the vehicle.